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Key Members Of Portland School Board Support Teacher Contract

Key members of the Portland school board signaled support Friday for the tentative agreement ratified Thursday by the teachers union.

Board co-chair Pam Knowles says there’s a lot to like in the new agreement with the Portland Association of Teachers.

“I think it’s a great deal - definitely worth voting for,” says Knowles. “More teachers in the classroom, also a longer school year.”

The deal was reached just days before teachers would have gone on strike. Both sides expressed frustration as the process wore on over months.

Bobbie Regan is the school board’s longest serving member. She hopes to pass the agreement, and focus on what the two sides have in common.

“We all want our kids to have a great education, we all believe in public education,” says Reagan. “My hope and expectation is that we’ll all move past this particular process, and understand that we need to be focusing exclusively on the betterment of the education for our kids.”